Chapter 10 The Persuasive Interview: The Persuader

1. Chapter 10 The Persuasive Interview: The Persuader

2. Chapter Summary • The Ethics of Persuasion • Preparing for the Interview • Analyzing the Situation • Researching the Issue • Planning the Interview • Conducting the Interview • Summary © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

3. The Ethics of Persuasion • Psychological Strategies • When do we cross ethical boundaries? • Is the effort to influence the lives of others inherently unethical? © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

4. The Ethics of Persuasion • Fundamental Ethical Guidelines • Who Are You? • Who is Your Interviewee? • How Adequate is Your Content? • How Open Will You Be? • Are You Innocent of Ethical Violations? © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

5. Five Interrelated Conditions for Persuasion • Your proposal must create or address an urgent need or one or more desires or motives. • Your proposal and you as persuader must be consistent with the interviewee’s beliefs, attitudes, and values. • Your proposal must be feasible, workable, practical, or affordable. • Your proposal’s benefits must outweigh objections. • No better course of action is available. © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

6. Preparing for the Interview • Seven Concerns • Sources • Analyzing the Other Party • Physical & Mental Characteristics • Socioeconomic Background • Culture • Values/Beliefs/Attitudes • Emotion © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

7. Analyzing the Situation • Atmosphere • Timing • Physical Setting • Outside Forces © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

8. Researching the Issue • Be the best informed, most authoritative person in each interview • Investigate all aspects of the topic, including events that may contribute to the problem © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

9. Researching the Issue • Sources • You must have the facts and know how to use them • Types of Evidence • Collect examples, both factual and hypothetical that illustrate your points • Gather statistics on relevant areas • Collect statements from acknowledged authorities, as well as testimonials • Look for comparisons and contrasts between situations © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

10. Planning the Interview • Determining your purpose • Be realistic but not defeatist © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

11. Planning the Interview • Selecting Strategies • The five strategies (theories) for planning your interview are: • Identification Theory • Balance or Consistency Theory • Inoculation Theory • Induced Compliance Theory • Psychological Reactance Theory © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

12. Conducting the Interview • Selecting and Developing Main Points • Do not rely on a single reason or point • Too many points may overload the interviewee with information and cause him/her to become confused or bored • Stating your strongest points first or last have the same effect • Know the strength of each point and introduce it strategically © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

13. Conducting the Interview • Opening the interview • Design your opening to gain attention, establish rapport, and motivate the interviewee • Adapt the opening to each interviewee and setting • Don’t rush or prolong the opening • Involve the interviewee from the start so as to foster an active role throughout the interaction © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

14. Conducting the Interview • Creating a Need or Desire • Develop one point at a time • Encourage interaction and interviewee involvement © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

15. Conducting the Interview • Establishing Criteria • Establish a set of criteria with the interviewee for evaluating all possible solutions to the need that you have established • The situation can influence criteria • Agreed-upon criteria enable you to build on a foundation of agreements, provide an effective means of comparing solutions, and deal with objections © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

16. Conducting the Interview • Presenting the Solution • Details and Evaluation • If there are more than one solution, deal with them one at a time • Approach the solution in a positive, constructive, and enthusiastic manner • Help interviewees make decisions that are best for them at this time © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

17. Conducting the Interview • Closing the Interview • Trial Close • Contract or Agreement • Leave-taking © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

18. Conducting the Interview • Adapting the Interview • The possible types of interviewees: • Indecisive, Uninterested Interviewees • Hostile Interviewees Yes-but approach Implicate approach • Closed-Minded and Authoritarian Interviewees © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

19. Conducting the Interview • Skeptical Interviewees • Shopping-Around Interviewees • Intelligent, Educated Interviewees © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

20. Conducting the Interview • Using Questions • Information-Gathering Questions • Verification Questions • Encouraging Interaction Questions • Attention and Interest Questions • Agreement Questions • Objection Questions © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

21. Conducting the Interview • Handling Objections • Do not assume there are no objections just because the interviewee does not raise questions • Some common objections to persuasive interviews are: • Procrastination • Money • Tradition • Uncertain future • Need © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

22. Conducting the Interview • Minimize the Objection • Minimize the objection by restating it to seem less important or by comparing it to other weightier maters. • Provide evidence to lessen impact of objection. © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

23. Conducting the Interview • Capitalize on the Objection • Use the objection to clarify your own points: review the proposal’s advantages, offer more evidence, and isolate the motive behind the objection © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

24. Conducting the Interview • Deny an Objection • Directly or indirectly deny an objection by offering new or more accurate information © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

25. Conducting the Interview • Confirm an Objection • Confirm an objection by agreeing with the interviewee © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

26. Summary • Good persuasive interviews are ones in which both parties are actively involved. • Good persuasive interviews are honest pursuits conducted according to fundamental ethical guidelines • Good persuasive interviews are carefully researched, planned and structured, yet remain flexible enough to meet unforeseen reactions, objections, and arguments © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.